Chapter Sixty-Three: His Thoughts

Mo Nianian was growing anxious. “Then what should we do?”

“Either endure it, or let it out,” the doctor replied, clearly embarrassed before the two young women.

He coughed lightly. “But it would be best if you helped him. His body is very weak; it seems he’s suffered a deep injury before. If he continues to hold out like this, I’m afraid his condition will worsen.”

With that, the elderly doctor prescribed some cooling medicine and left.

On the bed, Jiang Hu was twisted up in agony, his cries rising higher and higher.

It was plain to see he was suffering to the extreme.

If he really had to endure the whole night like this, the health he’d so painstakingly recovered might deteriorate even further.

“Miss, what should we do now?” Bai Shao was just as anxious. She may not like Jiang Hu, but in situations like this, life came first.

Mo Nianian’s gaze slid to Bai Shao. “Why don’t you make a small sacrifice?”

She didn’t have time to search for a proper candidate for Jiang Hu’s partner, but Bai Shao wasn’t a bad choice. At least she was trustworthy.

Bai Shao’s face filled with terror as she hugged herself. “Miss, don’t joke like that.”

Did she have a feud with this little brat? The previous incident hadn’t even been settled yet.

Jiang Hu seemed to have heard their conversation. Suddenly, he lunged forward and pinned Mo Nianian beneath him, his eyes clouded and unfocused. “Master… I don’t want anyone else… please, not anyone else.”

He pressed her down tightly.

Mo Nianian, worried about his many injuries, didn’t try to shove him off.

She was deeply conflicted. “How about you tell me what type you like, and I’ll go fetch her for you right away?”

“No one else,” Jiang Hu repeated, his eyes growing colder.

Then he pressed his face into her shoulder, breathing in her scent.

Every drop of blood in his body was boiling.

His last shreds of rationality were stretched to the breaking point.

He couldn’t let this happen. He couldn’t let her hate him—if he did, she’d abandon him completely.

No. Absolutely not.

Bai Shao stood there awkwardly. “Well, Miss, you two go ahead. I’ll go find Master and Madam.”

With that, Bai Shao darted away, leaving only Jiang Hu and Mo Nianian.

Mo Nianian felt awkward; Jiang Hu was pressing down on her completely.

His chest was partially exposed, faintly visible, making him even more enticing.

The two were so close that Mo Nianian could feel the heat radiating from his body.

She could even clearly hear the wild pounding of his heart.

She was surrounded by Jiang Hu’s presence, as if she were wrapped tightly in it.

Mo Nianian felt a little desperate. If not for his injuries, she would have slapped him off in an instant.

But with this body so fragile, like a porcelain doll, she had nowhere to begin.

Helplessly, Mo Nianian tried to reason with him. “Can you get up first?”

“I don’t want anyone else,” Jiang Hu murmured, pain written all over his face.

“But holding it in like this won’t help either.”

“Master—” Jiang Hu looked up at her, hesitant to say more.

He only wanted her.

Mo Nianian’s expression grew odd; her face gradually turned cold.

Jiang Hu’s heart sank further. The veins on his body stood out in tension.

Summoning all his self-control, he suddenly sat up. “This servant is fine.”

He rushed into the backyard, grabbed a bucket of water, and dumped it over himself.

The icy water drenched him from head to toe, finally calming the raging blood within him.

Mo Nianian watched him in silence, her eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion.

Jiang Hu dared not act out further. He obediently walked back in, regaining his usual composure. “Master.”

“Go change your clothes, don’t catch a chill again.”

With that, Mo Nianian turned to leave.

Jiang Hu’s gaze clung to her. “Master… could you stay with me tonight?”

He clung to his last hope. Maybe she’d change her mind? Did she really feel nothing for him at all?

He wanted to gamble everything just this once.

Mo Nianian was silent for a moment, then agreed.

The fire raging within Jiang Hu was not so easily extinguished.

All night long, he tossed and turned.

He deliberately made noises, hoping Mo Nianian would feel sorry for him.

But in the end, he was disappointed.

Mo Nianian didn’t react at all.

She was even colder than before.

Jiang Hu grew frantic. He seemed to have made a wrong move.

By morning, after a night of torment, Jiang Hu’s face was pale, his cheeks still tinged with feverish red. “Master, thank you for your trouble last night.”

Mo Nianian rose from the nearby couch, her expression cool. “It’s nothing. Rest well.”

“Master!” Jiang Hu couldn’t help calling after her. “Are you angry?”

His heart was in turmoil.

He’d acted too hastily, taken a step he shouldn’t have. Had she figured it out? Was she angry—because of his shameful thoughts?

The more Jiang Hu thought about it, the more panicked he became.

“There’s nothing wrong. Rest well.”

Mo Nianian calmly left the room, heading toward the cell where Lin Fu was held.

Lin Fu had never suffered like this before. She hadn’t slept all night and looked utterly haggard.

Her father had come to see her the previous night, furious and demanding to know how she’d offended the princess.

He’d insisted she must apologize and beg for the princess’s forgiveness.

The Prince Regent and his wife were notorious for doting on their daughter. Whatever the princess decided to do, not only would they never stop her, they’d cheer her on.

They’d even given Mo Nianian the military tally—what wouldn’t they give her?

If Mo Nianian said she wanted Lin Fu dead, those two might even clap for joy and help her get it done.

Mo Nianian was the uncrowned emperor of the capital.

Lin Fu was filled with regret and fear. At the sight of Mo Nianian, she immediately fell to her knees, begging for mercy. “Your Highness, it’s all my fault. I should never, ever have set my sights on your people.”

Her demeanor was as deferential as it could be, confessing her guilt thoroughly.

Mo Nianian was silent for a long time. “Was it you who gave the drug?”

Lin Fu looked utterly bewildered. “What drug?”

Mo Nianian’s suspicions were confirmed. She couldn’t tell if she felt relieved or even more annoyed.

“I despise people touching what’s mine, and I believe in an eye for an eye. For what happened yesterday, you’ll pay tenfold.”

With those words, she didn’t spare another glance at the cell, turning to leave.

The system was as quiet as a quail, cowering in a corner motionless.

[You knew all along?]

[I know nothing,] it replied pitifully. It was just a weak, helpless little system!

Mo Nianian let out a cold laugh. [This is the last time.]

The system whined miserably, […Yes.]

It was just too hard.

Mo Nianian sighed softly. How had things come to this?

She’d been so careful. In the last world, the male lead liked to be close to her, but she hadn’t minded much—holding hands and hugging didn’t seem important.

In this world, her interactions with the male lead were almost nonexistent.

So how had he still fallen for her?

And to resort to drugging himself—ruthless indeed, not caring for his own body at all.

The more Mo Nianian thought about it, the angrier she became.

Why couldn’t this scoundrel of a male lead figure things out? Wasn’t dedicating oneself to a grand cause more satisfying?